Farmington Hills Council Member Massey Moves Into Botsford Leadership Role

Eight years ago, Farmington Hills native Ken Massey attended a meeting of community leaders and started asking a lot of questions about Botsford Hospital.

His curiosity caught the attention of hospital officials, who appointed him to the board of directors. Recently elected to chair the group, he begins his leadership role as the hospital navigates its new position with Beaumont Health, a $3.8 billion, not-for-profit health care organization.

“I always thought Botsford was a great asset to our community,” said Massey, a Farmington Hills city council member since 2003. “When (Botsford president and CEO Dr.) Paul LaCasse called and asked if I would be willing to serve as chair, I said yes.”

While the hospital board will now be part of the Beaumont Health structure, there will still be local governance, he said, adding, “The mission of Botsford Hospital is not going to change. We’re still going to be delivering health care to our community.”

Since his appointment in 2006, Massey has completed the Excellence in Governance Fellowship of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. He is the senior director of venture development at Wayne State University, as well as the principal of Ken Massey & Associates, Consultants LLC.

In addition to his city council service, Massey’s community involvement has included service with the Farmington Hills/Farmington Emergency Preparedness Commission, Farmington S.A.F.E. (Suicide Awareness for Everyone), and the Southeast Michigan chapter of the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. He is director of the Graham E. Smith Memorial Fund for Suicide Prevention, founded in memory of his stepson.

Deborah E. Lamm, MPA, of Franklin, has been named as Board vice-chair. During her 25-year career in the health field, Lamm held positions with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States Conference of Mayors, and George Washington University. Additionally, she has served as Board chair for the Denver (CO) Children’s Home, as a Board member of the Wayne State University Center for the Study of Citizenship and as a volunteer for the Detroit Public Schools Reading Corps.

In a press release, LaCasse said Botsford Health Care is “very proud to have such talented and community-driven members lead our hospital’s Board of Directors and count ourselves lucky to have their wealth of knowledge, passion for community service and leadership at Botsford Hospital.”